Achievement unlocked

December 3, 2014

I am officially halfway through my self-imposed 30 meals before 30 challenge. Considering that I could barely make a grilled cheese sandwich before this process began, this is an especially big milestone for me.

I wish I could say that I thoroughly enjoyed the process, but I didn’t. Pulling the neck and gizzards out of the carcass and spreading butter under the skin was just as disgusting as I anticipated. I know — learning to cook is probably supposed to make me feel more connectedto my food or something like that, but this was way too close for comfort.

I can confidently say that there’s no future for me in the world of cooking shows, unless people enjoy watching someone complain and gag the whole time. (On second thought, that sounds pretty entertaining.) Of course my culinarily talented husband teased me mercilessly as I squirmed through every step. So fun!

I was much more competent when it came to arranging our table. This was our first year hosting Thanksgiving for my family, and I was absolutely thrilled to gather everyone in our dining room. I was even more thrilled to discover that we owned everything to make a proper table setting happen.

Isn’t it lovely? I was pleased with how it all came together. My aunt sewed the table runner, which happily coordinated with our light-green napkins. The tumblers were a gift from our friend Julian from years ago; and the brown ribbon and candle votives date back to our 2008 wedding. Serendipity! I knew saving that ribbon would pay off some day.

Unfortunately, the timing of the meal wasn’t nearly as serendipitous. The turkey was more than an hour late, which meant we had a mad dash for heating up all of the sides once it was finally ready. Jamie and I chalked it up to being first-timers, and thankfully everyone was understanding.

The good news is the turkey was delicious! It was so moist and flavorful that I nearly forgot about the horror of preparing the bird. I definitely couldn’t have pulled it off without Jamie’s help and guidance, but I was proud all the same.

Now I’ve got 15 more meals to go before the end of April. What should I make next? (I don’t eat red meat, but would love your favorite seafood/poultry/vegetarian recipes!)

And, yeah, I’ll try to cut down on the pasta. Looking back at that list of meals, it was definitely my go-to option of choice. It tends to be a tiny bit simpler than turkey, that’s for sure.

p.s. Goodness, it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged! I am planning to share details on the party we hosted for Jamie’s 30th birthday soon. (Here’s a sneak peek.)